{"id":148702,"date":"2025-06-09T06:39:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T06:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-6-meter-drone-set-to-replace-helicopters-90-cost-savings-for-more-affordable-efficient-missions\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T06:39:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T06:39:10","slug":"a-6-meter-drone-set-to-replace-helicopters-90-cost-savings-for-more-affordable-efficient-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-6-meter-drone-set-to-replace-helicopters-90-cost-savings-for-more-affordable-efficient-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"A 6-meter drone set to replace helicopters: 90% cost savings for more affordable, efficient missions."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>IN BRIEF<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83d\ude81 The \u00a0Airlift\u00a0, developed by Lithuanian startup \u00a0Airvolve\u00a0, aims to replace traditional \u00a0helicopters\u00a0 in military missions.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udca1 This hybrid-electric aircraft is designed to be \u00a0ten times cheaper\u00a0 to operate than current helicopters while being \u00a0safer\u00a0 and \u00a0simpler\u00a0.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd27 The major innovation lies in its design featuring \u00a0horizontal axis rotors\u00a0, using \u00a0modern materials\u00a0 to ensure efficiency and viability.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d Airvolve has already raised significant funds to pursue development, offering \u00a0flexibility\u00a0 in both peacetime and wartime operations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The development of new aerial technologies has often marked significant turning points in military domains. With the rise of \u00a0Airvolve\u00a0, a small Lithuanian company, a new type of hybrid-electric aircraft could represent the future of military missions. The primary objective of this aircraft, named \u00a0Airlift\u00a0, is to provide a more \u00a0cost-effective\u00a0 and \u00a0safe\u00a0 alternative to traditional helicopters. By offering a solution that could greatly reduce operational costs, Airvolve positions itself as a harbinger of \u00a0innovation\u00a0 in the military aerospace landscape.<\/p>\n<h2>An Intelligent Helicopter for a New Era<\/h2>\n<p>The Airlift stands out due to its capacity to be not only \u00a0more economical\u00a0 but also \u00a0simpler\u00a0 and \u00a0safer\u00a0 than conventional helicopters. Designed to transport up to \u00a0200 kg\u00a0 of payload within an internal volume of five cubic meters, it has a range of up to \u00a0100 km\u00a0. This project is under development for countries like \u00a0Ukraine\u00a0, \u00a0Greece\u00a0, \u00a0Poland\u00a0, and \u00a0Lithuania\u00a0, targeting armed forces seeking more affordable and resilient platforms.<\/p>\n<p>CEO Donatas Gendvilas emphasizes that recent conflicts and natural disasters have highlighted the \u00a0vulnerability\u00a0 and \u00a0high costs\u00a0 of helicopters. Events such as the evacuation of Ukrainian forces from \u00a0Mariupol\u00a0 and the wildfires around the Mediterranean have shown that helicopters are often targeted and destroyed by cheap portable missiles. <i>This situation leads military partners to consider helicopters as \u00a0technologies of the past\u00a0, paving the way for new innovations.<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>Ten Times Cheaper than Current Helicopters<\/h2>\n<p>One of Airvolve&#8217;s main goals is to develop a platform with \u00a0operational costs\u00a0 that are ten times lower than those of current helicopters. The Airlift, with its capacity to transport \u00a0200 kg\u00a0 and a range of \u00a0100 km\u00a0, integrates seamlessly within existing military infrastructures without needing specialized charging systems or extensive pilot training.<\/p>\n<p>A major innovation lies in the aircraft&#8217;s rotor design. Unlike traditional vertical axis rotors, the Airlift employs a pair of \u00a0horizontal axis rotors\u00a0, described by Gendvilas as \u201chelicopter blades that fold like a large umbrella.\u201d This configuration, historically tested by \u00a0Boeing\u00a0 in the 1930s, was abandoned due to material limitations. Airvolve believes that modern composites now render this design viable.<\/p>\n<p><picture><source data-lazy- type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/un-drone-de-6-metres-de-long-pret-a-remplacer-les-helicopteres-une-economie-de-90-sur-les-couts-en-e.jpeg\" alt=\"Airlift Design\" class=\"webpexpress-processed\"\/><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\n<p>The propulsion system will be hybrid-electric, with electric motors driving the rotors, primarily powered by a small conventional aircraft engine. <i>Heavy batteries will be avoided, with only smaller backup batteries used.<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>Optional Pilot Capability for Enhanced Flexibility<\/h2>\n<p>Comprising eight members, the Airvolve team has already secured approximately \u00a02 million euros\u00a0 in EU research funding, allowing the construction of two small-scale models and achieving a technological readiness level of \u00a05\u00a0. By \u00a02025\u00a0, Airvolve raised an additional \u00a0825,000 euros\u00a0 during an initial investment round, with a more significant financing round planned for \u00a02026\u00a0.<\/p>\n<p>The aircraft will be capable of flying autonomously but can also be piloted by a human for basic navigation tasks. This feature offers flexibility for \u00a0peacetime\u00a0 and \u00a0wartime\u00a0 missions. The transportation of goods is a primary focus, as this is the most common requirement for military clients. In the future, the Airlift could support operations such as shuttle missions between land and sea, depending on partner demand.<\/p>\n<h2>Towards a New Horizon for Military Missions<\/h2>\n<p>With a clear mission and targeted design, Airvolve aims to provide a new type of tactical aircraft that is fast, efficient, and resilient. The company&#8217;s vision is to position itself as a key player in military operations, where timeliness and safety are paramount. As technologies evolve at a breakneck pace, how will armed forces worldwide adapt to this new era of aerial innovation?<\/p>\n<p>The author utilized artificial intelligence to enhance this article.<\/p>\n<p id=\"rating\"><span>Did you find this helpful? <span class=\"star full-star\"\/><span class=\"star full-star\"\/><span class=\"star full-star\"\/><span class=\"star full-star\"\/><span class=\"star half-star\"\/><\/span><span>4.5\/5 (23)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IN BRIEF \ud83d\ude81 The \u00a0Airlift\u00a0, developed by Lithuanian startup \u00a0Airvolve\u00a0, aims to replace traditional \u00a0helicopters\u00a0 in military missions. \ud83d\udca1 This hybrid-electric aircraft is designed to be \u00a0ten times cheaper\u00a0 to operate than current helicopters while being \u00a0safer\u00a0 and \u00a0simpler\u00a0. \ud83d\udd27 The major innovation lies in its design featuring \u00a0horizontal axis rotors\u00a0, using \u00a0modern materials\u00a0 to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}